Jeff Gordon as a part-time substitute for Dale Jr. in the 88 (2016)
Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).
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| Courtesy AZ Central |
Why? Injuries to a teammate. Jeff’s 2015 had been a picture-perfect final season—contending for a championship and winning his penultimate race. According to legend he told team-owner (and business partner) Rick Hendrick to call him if he needed anything…which is what happened when Dale Earnhardt Jr. began to experience concussion-like symptoms. Gordon, who until this point had never driven in Cup for any number other than the 24, wound up splitting the second half of the 2016 season in the 88 with Alex Bowman.
How successful were they? Decently so. Considering Jeff had likely checked-out of competitive driving after 2015, he came back to post a pair of top-tens in eight races.
What was the aftermath? Gordon re-retired after the 2016 season as he transitioned into a management role with Hendrick Motorsports, while Dale Jr. returned for his final season in 2017.
Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 10 Pepsi commercials out of 10. Seeing Jeff Gordon in anything other than a 24 car (usually with DuPont/Axalta sponsorship) was, and still is, absolutely bizarre.
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